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Spatial variation of water quality parameters in a mangrove estuary
Fatema, K.; Wan Maznah, W. O. & Isa, M. M.
Abstract
Spatial variations of the water quality parameters
of the Merbok estuary were interpreted by multivariate
statistical techniques, such as cluster analysis (CA), principal
component analysis (PCA), and factor analysis (FA).
Data from January to December 2011 were collected to
monitor 13 parameters at six sampling stations along the
river stretch (two stations at each river section: upstream,
midstream, and downstream). Cluster analysis results
revealed two different groups between the sampling stations,
reflecting different physicochemical properties and pollution
levels in the study area. Factor analysis was used for the
parameters of the surface and bottom water quality, yielding
four factors that were responsible for 72.93 and 68.90 % of
the total variance of data sets. PCA also found conductivity,
salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll α, and NO3
- to be the
most important parameters contributing to the fluctuations of
surface water and bottom water quality in the Merbok
estuary. This study presents the usefulness of multivariate
statistical techniques for assessing water quality data sets
and for understanding spatial variations in water quality
parameters to effectively manage water quality in estuaries.
Keywords
Cluster analysis; Factor analysis; Merbok estuary; Physicochemical parameters
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